UnderFalls
by NutsieDreamer
Summary: Dipper and Mabel find themselves falling down into the depths of the mountain; it holding mysteries and secrets that were hidden away in the lore and history books in the town that they live in, at the base of the mountain. Accidentally falling down, the twins find themselves in more mystery and danger than either of them had wanted. A Gravity Falls and Undertale Cross-over.
**_A/N: So, this is apparently happening. Hopefully you guys like this! This isn't entirely my original idea, I saw this posted on a tumblr site. It was basically the person drawing gravity falls characters as undertale characters and then this happened. It's probably pretty shitty, yes, I know, but hopefully its good enough. I'll write more if people want me to._**

 ** _This is also posted on AO3 too._**

 ** _Note, Undertale and Gravity Falls are not owned by me._**

The First Fall

"Mabel- _huff_ \- please- _huff_ \- **_wait up!_** " A small figure, around an indeterminate young age, gasps deeply, his small hands bracing his heaving body against the strong might of the tree beside him. The young child wore a dark blue vest, a light orange shirt underneath it, with grey pants adorning his legs. Black sneakers with white socks peeking out completed the outfit. The child huffed once more, wiping away at the crown of his head, some of his messy brown hair swishing to the side, "We aren't- We aren't allowed to be up this high in the mountains!" The young boy continues, as he scampers after a receding figure, the giggles coming from it driving him forward.

"Oh Dipper!" Chides the other figure, revealing a similar dark haired figure, only it was a girl. She wore a bright pink sweater, with a shooting star, the tail a multi-coloured rainbow. Her pants were light purple, and she had black half-shoes on her feet. A red band was stuck precariously in her hair, keeping the long brown locks at bay. The girl turns, smiling widely at her twin brother, with figurative stars in her eyes, "It's _fine_ , all we're doing is exploring! You said yourself you always wanted to see what was up here!" She adds, giving him a pointed look.

Dipper opens his mouth to rebut that statement, but nothing was coming out. He couldn't deny it, he _had-_ was- **_is_** \- curious to see what was up here. Whispered tales of monsters and other such beings had always been boundless down in his small town at the base of the mountain. History and lore books Dipper had found were flooded with the tales of fighting against ancient beings, capable of magic and other wondrous things. To say the child-like curiosity of someone his age was peaked was not an understatement. He had always gazed longingly up the slope, wondering if perhaps he could meet the creatures fantasized about in the novels he read. And asking his parents about any of this had been a fruitless adventure, as they told him he was too young yet to know of such things. That only left the mountain as _that_ much more exciting to visit- it may contain all the answers that Dipper was seeking.

However, now that he was here, Dipper was not too keen on staying very long. Dark, black shadows crept across the trunks of the tall trees, the wind whistling through the leaves like a cackling laugh. Giving wary, side-long glances at the forest before him, Dipper didn't realize his sister had waltz further ahead of him.

"Mabel..." Dipper calls out, as he scurries upwards after her. He looks at the shadows that only seem to crawl closer to them, "Mabel, we should probably go n-" His sentence cuts off as he find himself staring down into the depths of nothing. Mabel is beside him, silently staring at the blackness.

A monstrous, gaping... _triangular?_ Black hole yawned before them. The sight was terrifyingly strange and unsettling. It was as if the hole was consuming everything- there was no light, no sound, and no life foretold in the abyssal blackness. The silence crushed their ears, as the black invaded their eyes. Dipper starts as Mabel breaths a shaky breath, the small sound like a crack of a whip. She reaches over, and takes his hand. Dipper notes the small tremor of her fingers; and he finds himself to be silently shaking too.

"Maybe you're right Dipper..." Mabel breaths out, her voice loud and distorted in the oppressing silence, "I suddenly don't like this anymore." She tearfully turns to look at him, fear mingling in her eyes, "This doesn't feel safe at all." She whispers, glancing at the gaping hole.

Dipper nods his own consent, turning slightly to begin the trek back home- when a sudden _crack_ sends shivers down his spine. Mabel yelps seconds after that bloodcurdling sound, her grip hard on the back of his vest. Suddenly they are both tumbling, turning and spinning down in a mass of earth. Dipper looks up to the vanishing sky, the triangular hole breaking apart to become a full, complete circle.

Then the sky is suddenly engulfed by black.

~!~!~!~!~!

The groans of the twins intermingle as they slowly brace themselves, swaying unsteadily into each other as they manage to right themselves. They blink weakly, looking around wearily, everything achy and sore. They find themselves in a rocky area somehow in a small circle of light, despite not being able to see the surface.

"Dipper…?"

"Mabel…?"

The two finally turn to look at each other, pinpricks of tears forming in their eyes, "WE'RE **_ALIVE!?_** " They both cry out in unison, as they hug each other fiercely, crying slightly into each other's arms.

"I was _so_ scared!" Mabel babbles out fearfully, clinging tight to her brother's sweater. Dipper squeezes back just as tightly, "Me too." He mumbles out, "Me too." They stay like this for a few quiet minutes, living and breathing the fact that they _were_ _alive_ , before awkwardly patting the other. Silently, they help each other stand on two feet, both of them still a little shaky from the long fall.

"Who's down here!? I heard voices!"

The low grumble that resonates and bounces in the rocky room causes the twins to freeze in place for a few terrified seconds. Another low growl brings the twins back to reality, and, now fully alarmed, they scramble around the barren rock, only to discover no hiding place against the footsteps that were now growing louder. Mabel latches onto Dipper's vest once more, as Dipper also grabs at her arm. They stand in a fearful huddle as the voice rounds its way into the small beam of light. The twins blink at the creature and the creature blinks at them.

"IT'S A FLUFFY GOAT MAN!" Screeches an excited Mabel after a few beats of silence. She immediately lets go of Dipper to go careening into the fluffy monster. Sure enough, the creature that had stepped into the light was a monstrous fluffy two-legged goat type creature. A strange hat with an even weirder symbol was perched on the top of his head, with fluffy horn-like things dropping down to the side of his face, almost like the side-burns their father had. He wore a pressed suit-and-tie type of outfit, his furry paws sticking out in a tuft of hair at the ends of his sleeves.

" _What-?!_ " The goat-man balks as Mabel's entire weight is thrown at him. He stumbles backwards, uncertainly placing his hands around the delicate waist of the child before him, "Two kids?" The goat man proclaims after a few seconds of shocked silence, "How did you get _down_ here? Don't tell me you two **_fell down!?_** " At this Dipper gives an awkward half-shrug, Mabel clearly not answering in favour of fluffing the hair on the creature.

"You're so soft and squishy!" Mabel says gleefully, as she rubs her face happily against the fur peeking out of the suit. The goat creature balks again, a blush spreading on his face.

"Hey, enough of that gooey hugging stuff, I'm not a stuffed toy, ya know!" He retorts snarkily, grabbing the back of Mabel's sweater and holding her some distance away from him. He regards the child with a baleful stare, before squinting at her, "Are you two humans?" He asks, his voice full of uncertainty and suspicion

"Yes-" Dipper begins to answer, but Mabel's high voice cuts him off.

"Why of _course_ we are! Why wouldn't we be?" Mabel rambles excitedly, wriggling out of the creatures hold and plopping to the ground with a small _thunk_ , "My name's Mabel!" She points to herself with an exaggerated motion, clearly excited, "Mabel Pines! That's my brother, Dipper! Dipper Pines!" She waves pointedly at Dipper, who smiles tentatively back, taking a few hesitant steps towards her, "What's your name, fluffy goat-man?"

"Well, I haven't seen a human in over 50 years. I forgot what they looked like." The goat man says gruffly, pushing the glasses on his face up a tad bit, before folding his arms across his chest, "And the names Stanley. Call me Stan though, everyone does."

Feeling more determined at knowing the creatures name, and coming to the conclusion that he wasn't going to hurt anyone, Dipper finally treads his way over to the goat man- err, Stan. _Perhaps he can help us?_

"Is there a way for us to get out? We _did_ fall down, from all the way at the top-" Dipper points upwards, as if proving his point, "I'm sure our parents are going to be worried-"

At this point, Stan looks at them oddly- a mixture of confusion as well as a tinge of sadness, "Well, gee, I don't know how to tell you this but… kiddos you're… well, stuck here. **_Forever_**. There's no way out. We're all trapped."

Dipper and Mabel give alarmed glances to each other, "What do you mean _trapped_? _Forever?_ " Dipper manages to grind out as Mabel nods along, her previous excitement fading. To this, Stan merely sighs and motions for them to follow him.

"Look, that's going to be a pretty long story to tell. I don't get why you two don't know this already, but you're here now so may as well tell you. Come on kids, let's all go to my house." Stan motions for them to follow him, before disappearing past the darkness. Mabel and Dipper look at each other, before Mabel shrugs and runs off to follow him. Dipper takes off behind her, walking slightly slower.

They follow Stan through dark passage, crossing between giant stone pillars twisting far up into the rocky ceiling. They find themselves in awe as they stare at the ancient-like ruins before them with large and smooth stairs, made of chiselled rocks, twisting upwards to a curved opening cut in a chunk of stone. Vines and other roots curled up and along the rocky face, making a picturesque scene. The twins find themselves in a rush to keep up with Stan, who nimbly makes his way around the various twisting corridors and various winding passage-ways and the few puzzles splattered within the gigantic ruins.

"What is this place?" Dipper asks aloud, as they both manage a steady pace behind Stan, leading them along stoically.

"It used to be the home to all the monsters down here." Stan replies nonchalantly, as he pulls a few switches on the floor of one of the various rooms. A _clank_ is heard and he continues on.

"Then where are they all?" Mabel pips up from behind Dipper, running slightly to keep up as she continuously stops to stare at all the different things in each room.

"Well, it was getting too crowded here. The _King_ thought it better to expand further into the mountain. Now it's only me."

"Oh."

"Why did you stay behind?"

At Mabel's innocently curious question, Stan merely shrugs his shoulders, "I guess I just… didn't want to leave." He responds in an off-manner, refusing to divulge into the question at any further probing. They walk along in silence for a few moments. They then enter a large open area of the ruins, leaves and the like scattered about on the ground.

"Welp, kiddies, here it is! My home!" With a flourish, Stan presents a rather ramshackle looking house, it mostly converging upwards in a triangular like pattern. The house was oddly shaped, for the most part, with sections jutting out awkwardly to the side. They faced the protruding portion of the house, steps leading up to a latched door, a strangely worded sign above it. Stan hops up the few stairs, and unties the latch to open the door for them, "After you, children." He proclaims airily, letting Dipper and Mabel cautiously walk through.

"It looks like a… gift shop." Is the first thing Mabel says, as she bustles around, looking at all the different things on the display shelves eagerly.

At this, Stan merely chuckles, "Best little shop in this whole mountain!" He boasts proudly, "I sold all types of different items here- many human themed, because everyone goes gaga for that type of baloney- but also magic items and other magical knickknacks. Buisness is, well, kinda slow now..." His voice trails off sadly.

Dipper, as well, walks around to look at all the different 'knickknacks' in the room. He picks at the " _buyable_ human face replica"- a chintzy round ball with fake-anime like eyes drawn on it and a grape tapped on to represent the nose. Two noodles were also glued on for a wide gaping mouth. Dipper scoffs at it, "We look _nothing_ like that." He retorts, tapping at it with disgust. It wriggles backwards and hits the other toy-like ones behind it, all grotesque in their depiction of what a human face was like.

"Hey hey hey!" Stan bellows, coming up behind him. He lightly slaps at the offending hand, "Hands off the merch, kay kid? Took me _forever_ to glue it on- ahh, recreate a life-like replica of a human, alright? Don't be breaking what you can't afford, kid."

"But it's all junk!" Dipper retorts to Stan, as they finally make their way into his house, proper, "What's with that _'_ _make yourself a human for a day_ _'_ kit? Why do you have plastic knifes as _human_ _'_ _s ultimate weapon?_ Do you take us as some weird _joke_? What exactly do you think we _are_?"

" ** _Humans_**. That's what I think you are. And don't even get me started on how much of a _joke_ you humans can be."

"Oooh, I think someone just got _saaaaassed._ " Mabel gasps, her hand going to her mouth as she looks at Dipper, waggling her brows. Dipper gives her a sour look, crossing his arms in a huffy manner.

"Be quiet Mabel." Dipper retorts, feeling stung by the implications of Stan's words. He wasn't entirely sure why being _human_ meant he was a joke, but it hurt nonetheless. Mabel, of course, didn't exactly understand that Stan meant _her_ too. Mabel sticks her tongue out at him, before flouncing over to Stan, standing expectantly around a round table. She settles excitedly in the chair that was extended to her. Stan gestures to the chair beside Mabel for Dipper, and goes to sit at the one across from them.

"So Stan, why can't we leave? Whats going on down here? Are you all on a time out?" Mabel babbles out, figurative stars in her eyes. Dipper silently waits for the answers, preparing his questions inside of his head, waiting to answer them. _What are you all doing down here? Are you magic? Are you the monsters in my history book? Do you hate humans?_

Stan looks between the two curious faces before him, before rubbing the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and sighing, "Why haven't you been told of this? Did they just _forget_? Or do they not care anymore...?" Another drawn out sigh as Mabel and Dipper look on expectantly, "Well, you could say we..." Stan sighs heavily once again, the fluffy eyebrows drawing together in concentration, before he smirks, "Well, yes actually, we're all in a permanent time out. You _humans_ locked us down here centuries ago... built a barrier to close us in. We've been trapped ever since."

Mabel jumps up, astonished, "That's horrible!" She proclaims, "Why would they **_do_** that to you?" A single eye opens, as he regards them thoughtfully.

"Because that's what you humans **_do_**." The voice is laden with darker undertones, and Mabel slowly inches her way down to her chair, silent.

Dipper struggles for a few minutes to say something, any of his questions, his queries- but they are trapped in the back of his throat, the only words on his tongue the fact that they **_couldn_** ** _'_** ** _t leave_**. His shoulders scrunched in on each other, and Dipper finally whispers out, "Then... we're stuck here forever too?"

"Well, yeah, that's what I _told_ you kids earlier!"

Mabel looks at her brother's downtrodden face, the pieces of the puzzle clicking together. She lets out a loud gasp, before her eyes start watering. She turns her teary eyes to Stan- the only authoritative figure in the room to count on.

"We can never _leave?_ We won't be able to see Mommy and Daddy **_never ever_** again?" She cries out, horrified. Dipper shakes his head in a nonsensical manner, curling further in on himself. Mabel begins to sob louder, before the tears truly pour down her face, "I want to go home!" She wails, looking through her tears to plead at Stan. Dipper also lifts his wet lashes to peek in Stan's direction, him too silently asking for the help of a parental figure.

"Ah- ah- hey!" Stan cries out, flustered at the display of emotions of the two young children before him, "Look, it's not _so_ bad..." That comment gives him no positive response, and Stan continues to flounder, "Kids, **_please_** , stop your crying… There's really nothing I can do!" Again, no positive response. Stan rubs his neck awkwardly, trying to think of something to help the emotional children out, "Hey, hey, kids, uh, why don't you take one of my knickknacks, free of charge?" Dipper merely looks at him, whereas Mabel seems to cheer up slightly.

"Really?" She sniffles, her voice rising in tone.

At this Stan nods, winking slighty, "Really really. _Goat_ nuts." Dipper only looks up, taken aback by the awful pun, yet Mabel latches onto the silliness of it, wiping away her lingering tears.

"Ha ha! You made a silly joke!" Mabel proclaims, her voice slightly normal sounding. She carefully scoots her way off the chair, before hurrying off to the gift shop. Dipper slowly unclenches his limbs, slipping off the chair himself. Stan gets up and walks with him.

A few beats of silence pass before Stan speaks, "Listen, kid. You and your sister are welcome to stay here. It ain't much of anything, but homes' home, ya know?" The offer in his voice is hesitant and unsure.

Dipper looks up at him, trying to wipe away the tears in his own eyes, "Thanks Stan." Dipper says softly, turning to look sadly at the floor once more, "It's not like we can really leave anyway…" He mumbles sadly to himself.

The two of them say nothing else, awkwardly walking to the strange gift-shop part of the house. They find Mabel muttering to herself and routing around in a stack of boxes.

"No." Ballet shoes go flying. "No." A frying pan. "Ew gross!" A used bandage gets tossed away. "No no no no- aha!" In a clutter of other things, Mabel produces... a hand.

"Ew Mabel! Thats a hand!" Dipper announces, disgusted.

"No! Its a fake hand, see?" Mabel pokes at the hand. It shudders, before suddenly it shoots out of her hand towards the wall. A fine beam of blue light trails behind it. It smacks into the wall, stuck in a high-five with it. Mabel tugs at it, but it doesn't budge, "What-?" She looks to Stan for guidance and he just smirks.

"Found the Hundred-Uses Hand, huh? Good choice kid, that magic is pretty durable. Just squeeze the ball in your hand for it to retract."

Mabel does so and it flings back into her outstretched arms, the blue string curling up into it, "Cool! So it has a hundred things it can do?!"

At this Stan rubs his neck, "Ahh, **no**. Its basically just a hook. You can make it grab whatever you want though- the magic ties into your thoughts. I _used_ to call it 'The Hook-Hand' but buisness was slow so I upped the anty. If it has a hundred uses that makes it 100 times more expensive!"

Mabel looks at the hand, before her eyes narrow on Stan, "Isn't that _lying_?" She says, her tone accusatory.

At that Stan laughs, "Kid, it's not lying if you _believe_ it. And if you _believe_ it that makes it true! ... _Ish_ " He shrugs on the last part of his sentence.

At this Mabel looks baffled, before blinking and looking down at the hand in wonder, "Whoaaaa." She whispers, stroking the hand softly.

Dipper crosses his arms, his eyebrow raised as he regards Stan, "That's still _lying_." He informs the monster, who just lazily shrugs his shoulders at him before winking cheekily. Shaking his head, Dipper goes to find his own little treasure in the gift shop of oddities.

Dipper tries looking at all the different knickknacks on the shelves, but nothing catches his fancy- not like he really _wanted_ anything. However, his eyes catch a strange set of hats near the door to the ruins. It was a light blue colour, with a strange complex symbol on the front of it. The symbol was odd, with a large oval-like thing in the centre, a strange dot in the center of it. Lines spread out like wings on either side of it, and three triangles were below it, the first and last triangle right side up while the middle was upside down. The symbol itself was encased in two circles, which had more symbols in the outer ring. The hat hums a blue teal as Dipper picks it up. Words whisper in his ear as he placed it upon his head

 ** _The Returned One From Above_** ** _…_**

"Ah, the _'_ _Prophecy Hat_ _'_." Stan murmurs, coming up behind Dipper, interrupting the words whispering in his ear, "Another magical item. Not very useful, though. It's mainly a gimmick... Gave the monsters something to look forward to." He shrugs off the whispers, before exiting to further in the house, silent.

The two look around the shop once more. A strange box was propped up against the wall to the door way, and other curious things were splayed about the place. However, nothing else was of true interest to the twins, and they chose to admire their new found gifts- both of them trying not to dwell on their new found situation.

"Dipper, this place is actually really cool!" Mabel screeches, her tone a little higher than normal, "I now have a third hand! That can _do_ things!" Aiming the hand to the ceiling, Mabel lets it fly. It smacks onto it, and Mabel climbs up the rope, giddy and excited, "Under the mountain is _soooo_ cool!" She shrieks out, laughing giddily.

At this, Dipper takes off his hat to peer at it, the whispers beginning once again, "And it has mystery to it too." He muses, before looking up in the direction Stan had disappeared to, "A _lot_ of mysteries."

The next couple of days pass relatively peacefully as they reside with Stan. Mabel and Dipper did have their rough patches, trying hard not to think about the fact that they weren't able to leave and see their parents _ever_ again- but Stan was funny and very kind. He treated both of them extremely well, and the twins found themselves growing incredibly fond of him. Soon they weren't as sad, as lonely or scared as they had been the first few days, and found themselves to be enjoying the company Stan brought to them. They could even begin to smile now, saying with truthfulness that they felt _happy_.

Stan even brought them to "outside" the ruins; with a snowy, sleepy little town waiting for them through a brisk walk in the snow. They saw a few monsters here and there, who stopped to stare but didn't walk up to talk to them. Mabel and Dipper took in this strange new world, astounded- a town full of snow right inside the mountain! Who _knew_?

"Ha, _cool_ ain't it?" Stan huffs out, rubbing his furry paws together with a wicked smirk on his face. Dipper groans and Mabel laughs at him.

"Grunkle Stan, you're _so_ silly!" Mabel chirps as she scrambles around in the snow, her piercingly happy laugh wafting around them.

Stan freezes as he turns to stare at Mabel, his eyes wide and he stutters slightly, "Wh- What did you just call me?" The voice was not accusatory, but shocked and awed. Dipper too, turns to give his sister a confused glance.

At this Mabel innocently looks up, snow falling off of her head, as she had happily threw it up in the air to land on her, " _Grunkle_ Stan! I already have a dad, so I can't call you that... so it's like Uncle and goat, but only with an r because Gunkle doesn't sound right and Grunkle makes you seem like a grumpy grump- and you **_are_** a little grumpy."

"Ha.. hah... Heh." Stan mumbles awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He bends down to rub her head affectionately, "You're just a little sweetie." He replies, his voice warm and gentle. Mabel beams up at him. Dipper smiles as well, before giving a little laugh as a thought occurs to him.

"He should be called _Softy_ Stan instead of Grunkle Stan." Dipper points out teasingly. He lets out a slight, indignant shriek as a cold snow ball is thrown his way, coating the front of his shirt, "Hey!" Mabel gawfs as Stan proceeds to make more snow balls, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"Hey little man, if you wanna have a bad time, I can give you one!" Stan smirks, throwing another snow ball. Mabel joins along and Dipper tries to fight back, but fails miserably. Suddenly Mabel calls out a "SECRET DOUBLE AGENT ATTACK!" and pelts Stan with all the snow balls in her hand. She flees towards Dipper, shrieking all the way as Stan chases her.

"Mabel duck!" Dipper shouts as he throws his own balls of snow, accidentally hitting Stan square in the face.

"Aggghhh!" Stan calls out dramatically, falling to the ground. He does not get up for a few seconds. Mabel and Dipper look at each other, suddenly horrified that they may have hurt him. They rush over, sliding into the snow beside Stan, a small spray of slush falling on his face.

"Grunkle Stan? Grunkle Stan?!" They both shake him, and he cracks open a lazy eye, before moaning even more dramatically.

"Oohhh kids, ya killed me. I only have one measly health point, ya know." He sighs dramatically, pretending to whither away.

Mabel punches him lightly, "Grunkle Stan stop it!" She chides him, her voice betraying the worry she had felt. She gives a knowing smile and nod to Dipper, who returns it with a wicked grin.

"Twin attack!" They both screech as they jump ontop of his belly, their fingers tickling the furry neck, as they simultaneous grab some slushy snow and force it down the front of his shirt.

Stan balks and gwafs, before sitting up, causing the two to fall onto his legs. He shivers, trying to shake out the snow in his suit, "You two dirty little sneaks." He says, bemoaning, "I can't possibly die now, knowing I have to raise you to live on the straight and narrow path of life, now can I? You don't just _tickle_ a man while he's down! And put snow down his _suit_!" He tsks at them, before lightly tossing them to the side, claiming he was going to discipline them. The twins run off, laughing as they try not to get caught.

They continue on playing their game, attracking further stares of the few monsters passing them. None of them minded, and before any of them knew it, Dipper and Mabel suddenly felt their body slow, their shoulders sag. Mabel yawns loudly, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she slowly trots forward. Dipper slightly snoozes on the snow fort he and Stan had built.

"Oop. Looks like its bed time for the humans!" Stan announces, as a pulse of blue light hits them. Eyes blearily open, they suddenly find themselves in the comforting, furry arms of Grunkle Stan.

"Ah, no Grunkle Stan. Just a few more minutes." Dipper mumbles, yawing loudly.

Mabel nods her head, sighing as she leans into Stans embrace, "Yeah... 10 more minutes Grunkle Stan. We wanted to make a snow monster."

Stan laughs softly, giving them the smallest of squeezes, "You kids can do that tomorrow. Its bed time now for you two." He chides, smiling to himself as he totes them all back towards the ruins and the comfort of his little home.

The next morning (at least what they imagine is morning. There was no sun to tell if it was day or not) Dipper and Mabel wake up to the sounds of yelling. It was more than slightly concerning. Slowly tip-toeing down the stairs that lead to their rooms, Dipper and Mabel peer from behind the frame of the doorway to see Grunkle Stan- and a goat monster that looked incredibly similar to him- arguing heatedly in the living room. Or, Grunkle Stan was arguing loudly, the other monster seemed much calmer and quieter.

"I am **_NOT_** letting you take those kids from me Ford!" Stan proclaims harshly, his paws clenching together, his jaw set in stone. The twins look at each other worriedly, the fuzziness from sleep now gone from their eyes. _What_ _'_ _s going on?_ Mabel mouths to Dipper, but he merely shakes his head, unsure himself. The other figure- an imposing sort of version of Grunkle Stan, with an imperial flowing cape and a sharp, pointed staff set off to the side- paces in front of Stan.

"But Stanley, you don't _understand_ \- with them, we could be free!" The other monster extends his paws out in a pleading gesture, and the twins note the strange, extra finger on each of his hands, "Finally we can escape this dreadful place!" He asserts, once again imploring Stan to understand his point.

Stan gives a low, threatening growl at the other monster, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Are you saying you'd be willing to **_sacrifice_** two _innocent_ children just so we can escape? I thought you and McGuckett were trying to find _good_ ways to get out of the underground! Not ways that involved **_murder_** _!_ "

"Stanley... I... We... We've _tried_ Stan... we've _tried_ for years now! Centuries! I didn't- I **_don't_** **-** know what else we could try... What else we could possible **_do!_** But then Bi- I mean, McGunket and I- we found a _clue_ \- a _lead_ Stanley, ins't that wonderful? Finally, we know a way on how to destroy the barrier... I know this is tough, and trust me- it pains me **_too_** _-_ but its _only_ seven SOULs. Seven SOULs for the price of thousands! Don't you understand the implications of that? We can all be _free_ Stanley. We can all **finally** be free!"

The silence that beats between the two monsters is terrifying to the twins listening in. They hold their breaths, waiting for Grunkle Stan's next remark. What the other monster was trying to say was frightening to them- _Did he want to_ _…_ _?_

"These two human souls are worth _more_ than just a thousand measily monster souls, Ford. You'd _understand_ if you met them. They aren't going to do this. **_I_** won't let you do this. You may be the King, but you're also my brother so I have the right to tell you when you've crossed the line. That's why I am- I **_was_** ** _-_** your advisor."

"But _Stanley_ -"

"And I _u_ to get the **_fuck out of my house._** "

"Stanley be **_reasonable_** \- This is for the good of monster kind! For the good of us **_all_**!"

 ** _"_** ** _O U T._** ** _"_**

Mabel scrambles and tumbles on Dipper as they both immediately try to back track to not be seen by- _Ford_?- however he catches them and they stare wildly at him, hearts beating rapidly. He looks to them, his eyes seemingly old and weary.

"Think about it. You two could be the saviours of monster kind." He inclines his head to them, but they only continue to stare, small and frightened. His eyes soften, "I don't want it to be this way either." He then heads towards the door off to the side. The door quietly closes, and the twins can still hear the patter that is his footsteps on the rocky path to outside the ruins.

"Kids!" Stan proclaims, suddenly appearing before them at the foot of the stairs, "So… You heard all that huh…?" He sighs dejectedly, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "I wish you hadn't… But don't worry you two! Good ol' Grunkle Stan will make sure that _jerk_ Ford will never harm you. You have my **_word_** on it… Are you two hungry?" At that, Stan proceeds to make his way into the kitchen to prepare the two breakfast.

Mabel looks up at Dipper, who stares off at the place where King Ford had just been. Slowly and silently the two make their way to the dining table, afraid to mention what had happened. Stan comes out, forced smiles and jokes but his demeanor slowly fades away into silence as the two children do not respond to him. Breakfast is an awkward affair.

"I'll be out for a bit." Grunkle Stan announces offly, as he pushes away from the table to leave. Mabel stares up at him, but Dipper refuses to look away from his plate, deep in thought.

"Can we go too?" Mabel asks shyly, but Stan shakes his head.

"I don't want either of you to leave. Who _knows_ what Ford might try to do. He's very dangerous. Stay in the ruins for now, kids. Its safer here." His eyes flash a deep blue colour, before he trots off towards the back of the house to leave. Mabel slowly trudges her way through the gift shop and outside in the ruins to play, while Dipper aimlessly trails behind her.

Mabel tries playing with the rocks outside the house but gives up in a few seconds, before flopping down unceremoniously. Dipper lays down beside her and the two of them silently stare at the rocky ceiling, deep, troubling thoughts flowing deep in their minds.

"Mabel, do you ever think about Mom and Dad? Do you miss them?" Mabel is silent for a few minutes, prompting Dipper to look at her. Her face is turned away.

"All the time." Mabel whispers softly, her hands wrapping around herself, "I miss them _a lot_." She sniffles, rubbing at her eyes as more tears trickle out.

Dipper looks up at the ceiling as well, unwanted tears pooling in his own eyes, "I do too." He mumbles, taking in shaky breaths to calm himself. Although it had been a few weeks, and the two could be happy again, it still didn't make it all better. The thoughts were still there, behind everything else.

"But Grunkle Stan is nice," Mabel adds softly, "He makes me forget, sometimes." Dipper doesn't respond to that, but it was true for him too. Grunkle Stan helped to keep them happy.

More silence passes between them.

"Dipper… Do you think that goatman will really try to kill us?" Mabel whispers into the oppressing silence, her voice getting smaller and smaller with each word, "I don't… I don't _want_ to die." The last word is barely above a whisper. Dipper tries hard to keep his voice strong, certain.

"Grunkle Stan will protect us Mabel, he said so."

"I _know_ … But I think he also wants to be free. I saw his face when that goatman said he knew how to get all of them out. He looked… almost happy. What if… What if Grunkle Stan…" Mabel trails off her sentence, but Dipper knew what she was asking. He was thinking it too.

"Maybe… Maybe we should talk to that goat man- The King, Ford." Dipper suggests, the idea forming within him giving some sort of strength of will.

"But… Grunkle Stan said we shouldn't leave. He said Ford was _dangerous._ "

"I know… But… Maybe he could find a _better_ way if we help him out. Perhaps he can learn something _from_ our SOULs instead of taking them." His voice was becoming much more certain, much more DETERMINED as he continued his train of thought.

"I don't know Dipper…"

"Mabel we have to _try_. Don't you want to see Mom and Dad again? Don't you want Grunkle Stan to be free?"

"Well _yeah_ … But I also _like_ it **here**." Mabel admits quietly.

"Be DETERMINED Mabel. Maybe we can SAVE everyone- including ourselves."

"… Okay, Dipper. I will try to be _determined_."

Sneaking out of the ruins was easy, as the door was locked from the inside. However, creeping through the snowy little town proved to be much trickier- They knew that Grunkle Stan was probably around here, but they didn't want to alert him to their presence. Shuffling through the snow ploffs, the two twins almost scream when a child-like voice similar to their own squeaks out;

"What're _you_ two sneakin' around fer?" The twins found themselves nearly eye-to-eye with a red-headed fish-like monster. They both balk at her, before Mabel puts a hurried finger to her mouth.

 _"_ _Shuuussshh!_ " Mabel hisses, grabbing at the girl's scaly arms and dragging her into the bush with them, "Don't tell anyone we are here!" At this the girl rolls her eyes.

"That's not an answer, but alright. I'll dig. Where are you two going? Are you two the humans Stan has?"

"Yes, and we're trying to get to the King's Castle."

At this the young girls eyes widen, "The Kings Castle!?" She proclaims, "I know where that is!" She adds

"You _do?!_ " Mabel gasps, and the girl nods her head proudly.

"Yup! Eventually, I'm going to be Chief of the Royal Guard, just like my daddy!"

"Ohh!" Mabel says in awe, clapping her hands. Dipper hisses at her, forcing her to stop.

"Can you just tell us where that is? We're kind of in a hurry." The little girl glares at him, before huffing.

"Rude. But alright, you basically just go straight once you hit the edge of town. It's a pretty clear cut path, you won't be able to miss it."

"Oh, wonderful! Thank you Fish-Kid!" Mabel calls out, as Dipper grabs her hand and starts pulling her away.

" _The names Wendy!_ "

They pass through different portions of the underground, but Dipper hardly pays them any mind. He constantly drags Mabel away from all the different sites and colours, and hopes that Grunkle Stan hadn't caught on yet and wasn't chasing them down. He didn't want his spurt of DETERMINATION to go to waste.

They reach the Kingdom, and in surprise they find themselves standing before Grunkle Stan's house- only it _wasn_ _'_ _t._

Instead of it seemingly ramshackled and slightly worn, this house was pristine and new. It had a clean, cut edge to it that made it elegant and foreboding. Mabel stares up at the house, apprehensive. She gasps when she thinks she sees a fleeting shadow in one of the windows. Dipper too, shudders at the chill rising in his spine.

The open the door, calling for the Kings name. He appears in a few minutes, baffled by the fact the two human children were standing before him.

"What are you two doing here?" He questions them, slightly puzzled. But his eyes speak volumes.

"We came to talk about the barrier." Dipper announces, and Ford shakes his head.

"No… _No_. Stanley was right. I could _never_ ask too innocent beings to give their SOULs away for this fruitless cause. I'm afraid I was just too… giddy over finally finding a way to break the barrier that I wasn't thinking clearly," He gives a little sigh, before looking at them speculatively, "But I heard from the different monsters in the town there that you've given my brother happiness. I fear I took happiness away from him when I made the plan to leave the ruins. I confess I left some of my happiness back there too. But then again, happiness is not a well-known emotion down here..."

"But, we were wondering… Maybe… _maybe_ you could study our… our SOULs. Hopefully you could get a _better_ clue. Something else to work with!" Dipper interjects DETERMINEDly. Ford looks down at him, surprised, before a small smile graces his features.

"You two would do that for us? Allow yourselves to be studied?"

"Yes! We want to help!"

At this, Ford places a gentle hand on each of their shoulders, "You two will be the link between monster and human kind, I can tell. I have high hopes for you both." With that, Ford leads the kids further inside. He leads them into the living room- which for Stan had held chairs, a table and many different types of games and books. Ford's had different scientific equipment and other similar things.

They spend hours in the room, Ford poking and proding them with different equipment. He also questions them on the outside world, how they had come to be here, and Stan. He asks many different questions about how Stan had found them, why he had kept them, and how he was doing. He smiles at each recollection the twins have of any time they had played with Stan.

"He's a big soft fuzzy goat alright," Ford says as Dipper recounts how they had come to call him _Grunkle Stan_ , "I'm glad you two make him happy." His smile grows dim though, and he works silently for a few minutes.

Suddenly, a burst of blue magic blasts into the room, _"_ _ **Y**_ ** _"_** Echoes throughtout the house, menancing and deadly. Ford pales and immediately backs away from the twins.

"Grunkle Ford- what-?" Mabel asks, before suddenly an imposing figure is standing in the doorway to the living room. His dark blue eyes take in the two children sitting atop the makeshift table.

" ** _What are you doing to them?!_** " The voice grumbles further, and Ford puts up his hand.

"Nothing deadly, Stan! All I am doing is _studying_ them! You were right, it isn't fair to condemn two innocent children to a death just so we can escape!"

The blue in Stan's eye fades a bit as he fully takes in the scene and notes that neither of the kids looked harmed in any way, "Well, as long as you aren't hurting them." He finally concedes, as he makes his way over to them, "You two kids doing okay?"

Dipper nods, "I'm fine."

"Me too!"

Stan cracks a smile, before it suddenly turns into a deep frown, " **Why** didn't you two listen to me!? I _told_ you not to leave the ruins!" At this Dipper and Mabel look away sheepishly.

"We… we wanted to see if we could help." Dipper offers quietly.

" **HELP?! HELP?!** By potentially offering your **_souls_** to Ford?! What were you two thinking!?"

"We thought we could talk to him to see if he could find a better way… with our help, maybe there _can_ be another way." Mabel pipes up, defending her brother from the onslaught of questions. Stan sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose once more.

"You two kids are going to be the death of me. Don't **_ever_** scare me like that **_again_** **,** got it?"

"We promise Grunkle Stan." They chorus in unison. Stan nods, still looking uneasy before he gives them both small hugs. He turns to stare at his brother.

"Ford." He says icily. Ford's small smile that had been on his face when Stan had turned to him dies instantly.

"Stanley." He mutters back, "Can I get back to work now?" As Stan gives him the full "go ahead" gesture and lounges against the wall, Ford takes a few cautious steps towards the twins again. They smile and beam at him, looking hopeful in their DETERMINATION to help. He smiles back at them, starting to understand Stan's concept of these two human souls being worth more than thousands.

Days start turning into weeks as Ford continuously studies the SOULs of the twins. Slowly, both Stan and Ford being to reconnect and find ways to laugh and smile at each other, without feeling forced to do so in front of the twins. The twins congratulate themselves on being able to reunite two brothers who had become estranged from one another. Life slowly starts to become peaceful once more, all four of them working together in harmony.

However, one thought was still on the twin's minds- especially Dipper. _Can we ever find a way to break the barrier?_ As each passing hour and no concrete evidence or solid idea came from Ford, that hope was beginning to dwindle. And it was dwindling _low_.

"No, no **_no_** Cipher. I already told you we **aren** **'** **t** going with that plan anymore. These two children are innocent and don't deserve such things. No child does." Late at night when Dipper felt too uncomfortable to sleep, he crawled down the stairs only to find Ford still awake- or slightly awake? His eyes were closed, and he looked as if in a peaceful rest- however, his mouth moved slightly to talk- as if to an invisible person. Strange shadows danced on the walls behind Ford, almost as if it was showing someone- some _thing_ \- was there, "I've been making good headway so far. I'm not going to give up now. I'm not going to do it, and that's that. Nothing you say to me will make me change my mind! Those children are going to live!" Eerily watching as Ford's eyes pop open, Dipper scrambles away from the wall, back tracking up the stairs into his room. He dives into his bed as he notes the creaking of the staircase, as if someone was coming up. A shuffle ensues and Dipper cracks open an eye to see Ford looking at them both at the foot of the door.

"Stay DETERMINED Ford. Stay HOPEful. We _will_ find a way. **_I_** will find a way… For these children." The door closes on that promise, and Dipper sits up in large bed, his eyes flashing with strength.

"Don't worry Grunkle Ford. We'll be DETERMINED too."

~!~!~!~!~!

"I hear a little human feels DETERMINED. DETERMINED enough to break the barrier?" The voice is high pitched and all-emcompassing.

Dipper looks around, confused. Where was he? What was he doing here? Where was this place? Where was _he_?

Floating in an eternal dark void, Dipper cannot tell up from down, left from right. He floats over and through and around, looking for the voice that was calling to him.

"Who are you?! What do you know about the barrier?"

"Little ol' me? I'm just a simple guy, who happens to know a bit of magic. And the barrier? I know LOTS of things about **_that_** little trinket! B _uuuu_ t I'm sure you're more interested in the fact that I know a _fantastic_ way to break the barrier."

"You- you _do?_ " Dipper breathes out.

"Oh yeah! But the only thing is that you're gunna have to _help_ me out a bit in order for me to help you. I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a predicament."

"What do I have to do?"

A laugh bites in the darkness, "Okay, kid, I'll tell you _exactly what you have to do_ _._ "

!~!~!~!~!~!

"Dipper... I don't really like it down here. Its dark... and _wierd._ " Mabel shudders as she stares around at the dimly-lit, dark and shrouded room. Strange lights were glowing in the darkness, and Mabel couldn't tell what was out there. She steps closer to Dipper, who was on the ground, trying to peer into the darkness. They had entered this room through a secret elevator hidden in the house; normally where the gift shop was in Grunkle Stan's version. Mabel had been in awe over Dippers knowledge, but he himself confessed to not really knowing it.

"Cipher told me." Dipper had confined in Mabel, who nodded- a flicker of concern in her eyes. Dipper had excitingly told her of Cipher- the man in his dream. Or the being. Dipper had not been truly certain of what Cipher was, having never seen his face- but he still had given him information. And _true_ information, Dipper now knew. After all this secret lab was here, is that not proof enough that what Cipher told him was the truth?

"Well you didn't have to come down here Mabel. He didn't say it needed both of us." Dipper says, still busily searching for the symbols Cipher had seared into his mind to look for.

"Well I want to help you do this too! They are _my_ friends too! If you say Cipher will help destroy the barrier, then I'm gunna help you get him!"

Dipper smiles up at his sister, holding the shimmering rock of light in his one hand, "Well apparently we're looking for some sort of circle. He said it resembles the one on the hat I'm wearing."

"How did he know that?"

At this Dipper shrugs, "I dunno. Cipher said he knows about A LOT of things."

"But... you said he was stuck somewhere. In a void? How could he know?"

"He has a bit of magic, he claims."

"Oh. Is he a monster?"

"He didn't really say."

"Oh." They two of them begin scrounging around in the dark, trying to find the circle Cipher claimed was there. A few quiet minutes are spent before Dipper shouts he has discovered it.

Mabel rushes over, staring at the dusty markings. They seemed to almost blink eerily at her, "I still don't like this Dipper." Mabel whispers out loud, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill, "Maybe we should have told Grunkle Ford about Cipher and what he said."

"Maybe. But Cipher told me Ford doesn't want anyone down here. Its supposed to be a secret. Only two people are really allowed down here."

"Oh. But I'm sure Grunkle Ford would-" Mabels words are cut off as Dipper starts chanting incoherent words. The symbols below start flashing, almost flailing in the ground they were contained in. Sudden chirping, crackling noises sound; a biting noise against the eerie silence of the room. A flash of light ends the grumbling chant Dipper was reciting.

Something dark starts pooling in the center, liquid and bubbling. It emits sounds, almost like groans and squeaks. Dipper, the chant over, backs away from the symbols; as they break free of the bounds of the earth and whip about wildly. The air seems to scream, and sounds of tearing, shearing and breaking start- as if the very fabric of reality was ripping at the seams. A crack appears in the air before them, a swirling mass of dark abyss.

The liquid tar on the ground seems to shoot up into the air, covering over the rip in the air, solidifying over it, and then shifting rapidly. The tearing screeches happen again, and the twins cling to each other in fear. The rippling surface of the black ooze bubbles and fizzles, slowly forming a triangular shape.

"I AM HERE!" The shout seems to stretch through their ears, ripping through different sections of space between them, filling in the void of each particle. The black ooze pops, and slowly turns to a melted yellowy orange colour. Arms that appear to meld and mesh as solid entities to fuzzy, erethral blobs wave about wildly. A spinning, twisting misshapen circle flashes into existence for a brief moment, before being absorbed into the melded yellow candle wax. An eye surfaces onto the semi-liquid body, it rolling around before fixating on the twins. A toothy grin that bleeds unto itself spreads on the creatures face, "Greetings!" It calls out, the voice a clash between a grumble and a squeal, "I am Cipher." The body sets down on the ground, somehow sustaining itself despite the legs that seem to forever fold in on themselves. It then bows, bits of it melting into the position.

The twins gap at the weird being, not understanding what _it_ **was.** It was a true anomaly, almost like it had a defined structure but kept melting and pooling in itself of those confined boundaries. The eye stayed fixated and clear, not displaying the waxy, liquefied state of the rest of the body. Complex symbols and lines played over its body, appearing and disappearing in rapid succession, as if its whole body was blinking. The twins recognized some of the symbols as the ones they had seen on the circle, but still did not know what they meant.

"Don't looked so frightened! Have you never met someone like me before? Wait- don't answer that! Its probably a **_no_** _."_ The creature laughs, its mouth continuing to melt into the other, dripping and eerie. The twins wonder how it can talk, unable to keep its mouth stable.

"What... what **_are_** you?"

"Just a simple dude with magic." Cipher responds absently, before his globby self-forming hands come together gleefully, "Now. Shall we destroy a barrier or what? You freed me, gotta hold up on my end of the bargain."

At this Dipper stands up, "Yes! Now how are we to do this?" Mabel awkwardly climbs up as well, looking at the- literal- shifty monster warily.

"Dipper..." She warns cautiously as the monster stumbles towards them, a creepy forming grin crawling on his mouth.

"Mabel, _this_ is what we came down here for! We can't back out now!"

"I know, I _know_ but- whats so bad about how it is? I _like_ how it is! We're _happy_ down here!"

"And we **_weren't_** up there? Come **_on_** Mabel! Our parents must be worried! And these monsters need to be set **_free_**!"

The creature- Cipher stands before them, his hands outstretched. Some black tar drips from his hands onto the floor, making a sloppy _splat_ sound.

"Shall we seal the deal?" He asks. Dipper looks at the hand, before looking at Mabel. Mabel looks away slightly, but nods her head anyway.

Both of them reach out at the same time, grabbing the melting palm.

"Yes."

!~!~!~!~!

Dipper gasps awake, every inch of his body feeling bruised and beaten. He groans, covering his eyes against the searing sunlight drifting in through the cracks.

 _SUNLIGHT?!_ Dipper's eyes shoot open, and he gasps at what he sees. A bright, clear blue sky with trees circling around him. He shifts slightly over- groaning as that action causes him pain- to find the mountain staring back at him. He was at the bottom, maybe some few miles out from his own village.

"How did I get here?" His voice crackles and snaps, his throat dry and sandy. He coughs a few times, "Mabel?" He suddenly calls into the empty forest.

But nobody calls back.

" _Mabel?!_ _ **Mabel!**_ " Dipper shouts into the empty woods, struggling to get up. Something weighs heavily in his chest, pulsating rapidly. He holds a hand to his heart, wincing at the pain. He calls for Mabel again, but still no response.

 _This is wrong, all wrong!_ Dipper screams to himself mentally. He knew he had been trying to get _out_ \- out of the mountain. He _had_ a purpose, a _reason_ \- it was something to do with _breaking_ something? Dipper felt fuzzy inside of his own mind, as if the pieces to the puzzle were lost from him. He scrambles around the brush, trying to think, _trying to remember._ But Mabel wasn't here. _Mabel wasn_ _'_ _t_ _ **here**_ _!_ A horrible feeling was rising in his throat, even as his tattered body was starting to give way. He collapses to the ground, unable to move any longer.

 _Mabel, where are you?_

The last place his eyes flicker to is the top of the mountain- where people have _fallen_. Where _they_ had fallen. With a certainty that shook his soul, Dipper _knew_ where his sister was.

 _She_ _'_ _s still down there._

 ** _A/N; Aannnnddd, here it is! Hopefully it's not too confusing- I know it may seem weird, but we actually haven't gotten into the story line of the game yet- I honestly wanted to post this to see how people would receive it before writing any more. let me know what you guys think! Thanks, Nustie-Dreamer._**

 ** _And do you guys like the name of UnderFalls? I was toying with GravityTale but I dunno...?_**


End file.
